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How to handle seller sending to the wrong address via FedEx?
Hello,
I recently made an order and the seller has been unresponsive throughout the process.
The seller shipped with FedEx to an address within my city and state but a different zip code that is significantly different and would not be considered nearby (30 minutes drive away). The appeal process was rejected because the package tracking status says "Delivered" even though the tracking has the wrong zip code when compared to the shipping address I provided.
When calling FedEx they have confirmed that my actual address is not the original address that the shipper had used for the label but for security purposes they aren't giving me any proof or assistance since I don't know what the original address is (and the seller won't respond to any messages being sent). On the other hand, eBay insists that the address is correct and that FedEx has made a mistake and is unwilling to help.
Is this considered tracking number fraud? What am I supposed to do in this case?
kewa4003
OP10 months ago@eburtonlab I was actually contacting the social media customer service just now. I was able to get a hold of them and explain to them my situation and they have started the process to issue the refund. The main frustration was eBay customer service over the phone adamantly saying that the seller had shipped to the right address while FedEx was confirming to me that they had clearly sent it to somewhere else.
For anyone that needs help with this situation, what I noticed is that if you go on the tracking page for FedEx, there' s an option to report item missing. It prompts you to put in your address to verify the tracking and in this case for obvious reasons the page ends up sending an error saying that the address does not match the records for this tracked package. I submitted the screen shot and the links to the social media customer service during my case.
@gosimus That's actually very helpful context. Every customer agent over the phone was hesitant and dismissive because they weren't able to verify the authenticity of the request despite having the tracking number which I understand but it creates an impossible problem when you don't have the original address.
eburtonlab
Mentor10 months ago@kewa4003
Glad to hear that eBay's social media folks are helping you!
The main frustration was eBay customer service over the phone adamantly saying that the seller had shipped to the right address while FedEx was confirming to me that they had clearly sent it to somewhere else.
The customer service rep on the phone is likely looking at the shipping address of the order details, which matches your address. That is the address the seller is supposed to ship to. But the customer service rep has no way to know where the seller actually shipped anything -- certainly not just by looking at a tracking number without direct cooperation from FedEx (which is very hard to obtain even if you are the supposed recipient, as you and gosimus have discovered).
Customer service phone reps are used to dealing with certain very common issues, like lost packages, or a buyer having an old shipping address that has not been updated, and those reps tend to fall back on a script that they are used to dealing with when presented with something new that they are not prepared to handle. The reps you can reach via social media seem to be more flexible.
In any case, good luck to you!
gosimus
Mentor10 months ago@kewa4003
< an impossible problem when you don't have the original address >
You don't have to have the original address. The carrier has the address, and you have the address on your driver's license. It's simple to compare the two, but, of course you have to go to the office in person. The actual problem is, for whatever reason, the office managers won't put in writing the fact that the shipped address doesn't match your own.
kewa4003
OP10 months agoThank you for the response!
I've been trying to get some "hard proof" but FedEx due to security reasons is not willing to provide any written documentation that the original address on the shipping label is different than my actual residence. They are unable to verify and say that the only thing I can do is contact the shipper which in this case is unresponsive and unwilling to help.
The closest thing to evidence is going through FedEx tracking and when I click on missing pacakge, it asks me to provide the original address. When I put my own address in there (which should be where the package was supposed to be sent to) it says that the address does not match the records of that tracking number.
Are there any alternatives as to how I can obtain irrefutable proof?
This particular case the seller is essentially brand new with 1 or 2 reviews that aren't exactly verifiable and an empty profile page. The purchase was done for a product that had a "too good to be true" type of deal. Honestly, my fault for not opting to go for a more reputable seller but now I have to get this resolved.
A credit card chargeback is something I considered but out of good faith I wanted to get this done through eBay considering it's always been a good experience for me but in this case I have no idea how to proceed.
eburtonlab
Mentor10 months agoHave you tried contacting eBay via social media? The wrong zip code may be enough to demonstrate false tracking if you are unable to get documentation from FedEx.
Filing a "not as described" return through eBay is the quickest way to get a refund, provided the buyer is prepared to return exactly what was received by the buyer from FedEx. The seller might decide to not actually pay for return shipping, particularly if the seller already has reason to suspect that what the buyer would be able to return would be worth less than the cost of shipping. If the seller does not provide a prepaid label or pay in advance for tracked return shipping, the buyer should be able to ask eBay to step in and force a full refund at that point.
If you do decide to go to your card issuer, be sure to make it clear this is a case of "false tracking" rather than a lost package, or else your card issuer is apt to ask eBay if the tracking shows delivery and decide the same way as eBay.
gosimus
Mentor10 months ago@kewa4003
< FedEx they have confirmed that my actual address is not the original address that the shipper had used >
I had a false tracking "thought it was a scam" with FedEx as the carrier, and I drove all over Omaha trying to get documentation that the shipping address didn't match my address. I finally managed to get to someone at the upper Management level, who did give me a letter stating so, but I had to drive all over town, from one office to the next – burning half a tank of gasoline in the process – before someone at one of the drop off locations told me where to find that senior Manager.
I ultimately didn't make a claim because my item arrived before I got around to it. What happened was that the seller posted the wrong tracking number. Since my item did arrive, I concluded that crossing the tracking numbers wasn't deliberate. The point of my story is that it was possible to finally obtain that letter, even though every store manager that I asked was afraid to take the responsibility of giving it to me.
eburtonlab
Mentor10 months ago@kewa4003
If the buyer actually receives something, the buyer can file a "not as described" return within thirty days for a full refund. In fact, any buyer on eBay can file a "not as described" return, provided the buyer is willing and able to return exactly what was received.
If tracking shows delivery but nothing arrives and the buyer can obtain some hard copy documentation (email is not good enough) that says that the package was not delivered to the buyer's address or documentation that shows the weight or size of the package cannot possibly correspond to the ordered item, or the shipping date precedes the order, then the buyer may be able to contact eBay via social media direct message, provide that documentation to eBay and get help with "false tracking".
https://x.com/askebay
https://www.facebook.com/ebay
https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/
With "false tracking" if you go through a standard automated "item not received" case, on the other hand, you will lose the case because the seller can provide tracking that appears to show delivery. If you then appeal, you may have some additional options at that point. It appears that eBay has added a new appeal option regarding "delivery to another address", but I do not know how effective that is compared to contacting eBay via social media with documentation and explicitly mentioning "false tracking", which seems to work provided you can obtain the necessary documentation.
If you are unable to get help through eBay, you may have recourse through your payment method, though you should probably exhaust all your eBay options first since once you go through your payment method, eBay will no longer help with that transaction.
In general, you can avoid a lot of headaches by choosing to purchase only from established sellers that have recent and past positive feedback as a seller for selling items in the same category that you intend to buy. If someone is selling a dozen apple watches, but has no feedback, or only has feedback as a buyer, or only has feedback for selling dress patterns or fishing lures (actual examples I have seen), perhaps wait until they have a track record of positive feedback for selling electronics before you buy from them.